At the Bridgewater
by olivetree1
Summary: Love isn't always a smooth course ... CHAPTER 5 UP!
1. Chapter 1

**At the Bridgewater**

**DISCLAIMER: **I'm sure you know by now that no one on this site owns anything except the stuff they make up, so what's the point of saying it again? I OWN NOTHING! There, I said it.

**A/N: **Wow, that title sucked. Probably the worst one I've ever come up with … anyway, this is just a random idea that I came up with in the middle of my drama class. I wrote it in about a week, so my apologies if it's not very good. Reviews are very helpful, as there WILL BE another chapter, two at the most.

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They met as arranged in Bridgewater Park just as the sun was setting. It was quiet that time of day, as many people went home to eat. They walked hand in hand without meeting a single soul and came to rest near the lake, under a large willow tree. Neither of them spoke, but both regarded the beautiful scenery and their partner.

Just as the sun disappeared behind a clump of trees, casting a broken shaft of light across the lake, the couple kissed. It was a soft kiss, and neither of them made any effort to deepen it. They stayed like that for some time, their lips simply touching, both of them contended with the feel of their partner's lips against their own.

He gave in first, as he often did. He moved his hands from his sides, where they had been dangling idly, to her waist. He pressed his lips against hers slightly harder, and she complied, moving her hands to around his neck. She pulled him closer to her as their kiss became deeper, and his grip on her waist tightened. After a few seconds, she pulled away. She looked at him and he returned the gaze. She regarded his eyes; dark and friendly, they seemed to beckon her to him; his hair, soft and fine, felt like silk under her fingers. His gaze observed her lips, smooth and soft, and her slightly flushed cheeks.

He smiled as she leant in and kissed him again. She ran her tongue against his lips and he gladly let her in. Gradually, their kisses became more passionate and urgent, and he was dimly aware of her fingers entwining themselves in his hair as he kissed her hard. She groaned against him and returned his kisses with her own equally passionate ones, capturing his mouth with vigour.

"Katie," he moaned suddenly.

She pulled away immediately and looked at him, horrified as he, too, gasped. Her hands left the back of his neck as his grip on her weakened. She stepped back and looked at him, her eyes portraying none of the love and affection that was there a minute ago, only confusion and hurt. He looked back at her, equally astonished. He tried to speak, but he was too shocked to say anything. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes as he just shook his head slowly and apologetically. She backed away from him as he stretched out to touch her arm.

"What did you just call me?" she asked him.

"Oh God … I'm sorry Summer. I don't know where that came from Summer, honestly! Please Sum, I'm so sorry …" he managed to choke out. He found himself repeating Summer's name over and over again, as if repeating her name would erase the fact that he had just called her 'Katie'.

"Forget it," she said, her voice cracking into a sob as she spoke. Tears escaped from her eyes as she blinked, but she wiped them away with the back of her hand. She pushed him away as he tried once more to step closer to her, and walked away.

He felt his world shatter around him as she pushed past him, tears once more forming in her eyes. He stared blankly at her back as she walked away, her head bent. He honestly didn't know where Katie's name had come from. Sure, he used to have a crush in her, but that had ended in 7th Grade. Summer couldn't just end it now, could she? If she did, then his entire world would collapse. He loved her too much to let her go … Katie didn't matter any more.

"Summer! I'm sorry!" he cried after her. She waved her hand over her shoulder, dismissing his apology without turning around.

He tried to stop the tears forming over his eyes, but failed. As the tears crept down his cheeks he wiped them away angrily. Why did she have to do this? Why didn't she believe his apology? How was he supposed to cope without her? She was his whole world – his future, his dreams, his entire life. Did she not know how much he loved her?

Summer, too, was distraught. Why had he called her 'Katie'? Did he love Katie more than he loved Summer? Had their entire relationship been a fake, just a plan of his to try and make Katie jealous? Had he meant any of the things he had said to her of love and marriage? Did he not know how much she loved him?

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**A/N: **Okay there you have the first chapter. There will probably be another chapter of this, revealing who the boy is. We know that the girl is Summer (I hope everyone got that – the girl is NOT Katie!). So, who do you think the boy is? I'm not sure myself yet, so if you have a particular preference between the boys (which I'm sure many of you will) then tell me. Oh, and I and NOT making the boy Lawrence, because he's quite a hard character to write about. So send me a review telling me which boy you'd like Summer's boyfriend (or ex-boyfriend) to be. Thanks! 


	2. Chapter 2

**At the Bridgewater**

**DISCLAIMER: **I'm sure you know by now that no one on this site owns anything except the stuff they make up, so what's the point of saying it again? I OWN NOTHING! There, I said it.

**A/N:** Hey everyone! Thanks for all your reviews, they were great! I wasn't expecting such great feedback so soon (about nine reviews came in on the very first day the story was put up!). Sorry for the long delay, but I've had loads of coursework to do, and drama scripts to learn … you know how it is! Well, here's the second chapter of my story. I'm going to warn you that there may be an even longer delay before the third chapter's put up, since I have NO idea what to do for the next chapter … if you have any ideas then feel free to tell me. And, once again, PLEASE REVIEW, since reviews are one of the most useful and rewarding things about being on

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Freddy was lying on his back, listening to some music while his parents were out. He tossed a tennis ball into the air and caught it with one hand as one his feet tapped out the beat of the song. He hummed tunelessly to the lyrics as he thought about his homework, which was lying discarded on his desk underneath a pile of CD's. As the song ended, he thought that he should probably get on and do the work before Summer rang him up to remind him, which she sometimes did. Not that he minded or anything; if it wasn't for Summer, he probably wouldn't even go to school. 

"Freddy, school is _important_!" she would say. "You can't do anything if you haven't got an education!" He would normally just wave her comments aside with a carefree shrug, but inside he knew she was right, as she usually was. In a way, Summer was a sort of guardian angel sent to make sure Freddy did his homework, revised for tests and turned up on time for band practice.

Freddy rolled over and turned his stereo down a bit before turning to face the chaos that was his desk. There were clothes, both clean and dirty, strewn across his desk and chair. The floor around the desk was littered with empty cans and old magazines, there were piles of CD's and music scattered across the desk and chair, and somewhere underneath all that mess was Freddy's old hamster cage, which had been deserted since his old hamster, Bobby, died.

"I should really get rid of that cage," Freddy mumbled absently to himself as he pushed some CD's and magazines onto the floor. He looked around his desk, trying to find his folder and a pen, but before he had a chance to look properly, the phone rang. Freddy sighed as he went downstairs to answer it. "Hello?"

"Freddy – it's Zack," he heard his best friend say. Zack sounded slightly strange, as though he had been crying.

"Hey. How's it going? You okay?" he asked.

There was a slight pause before Zack answered, "Summer and I just broke up."

"_What!_" Freddy cried, sitting down on a chair. "You … you _broke up_? What happened?"

"I did something terrible …"

"Well what did you do? It can't be that bad –"

"I called her Katie," Zack said suddenly, cutting across Freddy. There was another pause as Freddy slowly digested this new information.

"You … you called her _Katie_?" he said eventually.

"I know!" Zack moaned. "I was so stupid! I don't even know why I did it – I mean, I wasn't even thinking about Katie at the time …"

"So it was just a mistake," Freddy said sceptically.

"Yes!"

"Are you sure? Because it sure seems like you've got the hots for Katie."

"_What!" _Zack cried.

"Look, how about you call Katie, tell her that you love her, and I'll take care of Summer," Freddy reasoned.

"No!" Zack said. "I don't like Katie, and I never will. Freddy, I love Summer more than anything in the world and I need to make her see that. So please don't go getting any ideas, because they won't work. I need Summer as much as I need air to breathe, Freddy. Please try and understand that," Zack said.

He needed his best friend to understand how much Summer meant to him, as Freddy was his only shoulder to cry on. He couldn't turn to Katie, as she would freak as soon as she found that Zack had called Summer by her name, and he couldn't talk to Summer for obvious reasons.

"Okay, okay, I understand what you're saying," Freddy said. "Well, why don't you go and buy a great big bunch of flowers and a huge box of chocolates – she likes truffles the best. Just go round to her house and apologise. Oh, roses are her favourite flower by the way," Freddy suggested.

"How did you know that?"

"Know what?"

"What her favourite flower and chocolate were?"

"Oh … I guess she must have told me sometime. No big deal, Zack," he said casually, feeling slightly uncomfortable at the fact that he knew something about Summer that Zack didn't. In fact, he probably knew a lot about Summer that Zack didn't, like the fact that her father had mysteriously gone missing when she was seven and now lived with her mother and her five siblings, or that her older brother was an alcoholic and had died of alcohol poisoning when she was eleven. Freddy reckoned that Zack didn't know any of these things, and couldn't help but feel that maybe he should, seeing as he loved her so much. But telling him those secrets was Summer's job, not his.

"She told you? When?" Zack demanded, immediately suspicious of his best friend.

"Oh, I don't know. Ages ago. It's no big deal," Freddy said, trying to calm Zack down before he got himself into a state.

"Have you been seeing her behind my back? Because if you have, I'll –"

"Zack, relax! I haven't touched your girlfriend, so don't freak out at me," Freddy exclaimed. There was a few seconds of silence, during which Freddy could hear Zack breathing deeply on the other end of the phone.

"Okay, I'm calm. I'm just going to go straight up to Summer's house and apologise to her," Zack said determinedly. "Bye Freddy, and thanks."

"No problem. See you in school," Freddy said, and hung up. He went back upstairs to tackle his homework, but when he was halfway up the stairs the doorbell rang. "Probably Dad locked out again," he muttered, and went to open the door. When he pulled it open, he was surprised to see a rather dishevelled Summer on the doorstep.

"Summer?" he said in surprise as he saw her.

She smiled shyly and said, "I'm really sorry Freddy, but can I come in? I really need to talk to someone."

"Yeah, sure. Do you want a drink?" he asked, stepping back to let her in. She shook her head and followed him upstairs. Her eyes were rather red, and there was mascara smudged under her eyes, as though she had been crying, he noticed. She was chewing on the inside of her cheek, too, which she did when she was nervous or upset. Freddy turned his music off as Summer pushed a pair of trainers and a couple of CD's out of the way to sit down on his bed.

"Freddy, I'm really sorry but I just had to tell someone." She took a deep breath and then told him, "Zack and I have broken up."

He didn't want to say 'I know, Zack just told me' because that would only upset her more, so he simply stayed silent and sympathetic as Summer's bottom lip trembled slightly.

"Freddy, swear to me that you'll never tell anyone this, especially Posh, but Zack called me Katie. We were in the park, kis- well, doing what couples do … you know," she said. "And then all of a sudden, he just looks at me and says 'Katie'."

Summer suddenly burst into tears as she thought of the only boy she had ever loved – _could_ ever love, breaking her heart so quickly. She couldn't help but remember the way that Zack's eyes had changed from being filled with love to being filled with desire when he said Katie's name. Zack loved Summer, yes, but he wasn't _in_ love with her. He was in love with Katie.

"How could I have been stupid? Of course he loves Katie more than me … I mean, she's prettier than me, she's funnier than I am, she's more confident than me, she's smarter than –"

"Summer, no one's smarter than you, so don't even try that one," Freddy said. "And she isn't any of the things you just said. And you know what? Zack doesn't even love Katie. He loves you."

"Yeah? Prove it," Summer said bitterly. She didn't believe for a moment that Zack loved her more than Katie.

"Well he said so himself. He called me up and told me," Freddy said. Summer looked at him, and then looked back down at the ground.

"He's a liar then. And even if he _does_ still love me – which I seriously doubt – I don't love him. I can't possibly love him after what he said," she told Freddy. She expected him to laugh at her, and to tell her not to be so silly, but for now he looked serious. He was looking at her, watching her as she spoke. Normally, she would have felt awkward under a scrutinising gaze, but she didn't this time; she felt as though he _should_ be watching her. She felt protected when he was watching her, as though he was her guardian angel, to protect her from all the world's evils. But what had started out as a calm, comforting thought resulted in Summer bursting into laughter as she imagined Freddy Jones in a white gown and halo, complete with a harp.

"What?" he asked, confused at her sudden mood change.

"Nothing," Summer said, taking a deep breath and calming the giggles. "I just had the funniest thought. It doesn't matter now, anyway." Summer wiped away her tears, took another deep breath and stood up. "I better go now. Thanks for letting me in, and for listening to me. I might call you later, maybe we can go out tomorrow sometime or something," she said, making her way out onto the Jones' landing.

"Yeah, that'd be cool. Maybe go to the pictures or something, like we used to," Freddy said, remembering when they were younger and the two of them would go the pictures once or twice a month on a Saturday. It was never a date, just a chance for them to talk and have fun together.

"Yeah, maybe. Well, I'll see you soon. Bye," Summer said as she stepped out onto Freddy's driveway.

"Bye," he returned, and then went back inside.

He was really confused about the whole Summer and Zack thing. They were the closest, most affectionate couple in the School of Rock, and everything seemed perfect from where Freddy stood. He still couldn't get his head round the fact that Zack had called Summer Katie. Even Freddy wouldn't do that, no matter how much he was thinking about another girl. Freddy didn't believe in flings and one-night stands; he liked to have a steady girlfriend, even if they only dated for a month or so. He sometimes got frustrated when girls came up to him and flirted outrageously, pouting their lips and fluttering their eyelashes at him. He got sick and tired of it, and sometimes wondered if girls only went as far as nail polish and hair mascara.

Freddy went back upstairs, but he didn't go to his homework. Instead, he lay back down on his bed and twirled one of his drumsticks in one hand while the other rested behind his head. He couldn't help but think about Summer and Zack, and how badly they had destroyed what was possibly one of the best relationships in the band. If only Zack hadn't have been so stupid, and Summer wasn't so stubborn, they would both be still blissfully happy with the knowledge that the other loved them.

He felt sorry for Zack, but he felt even sorrier for Summer. He had known how much Zack meant to her – she would spend almost every moment she could talking about him and praising him and saying how much she loved him. Zack, on the other hand, tended to mention her rather than talk about her. Freddy had never really thought about it until now, and he found that perhaps Zack didn't love Summer as much as he thought he did.

_"I need Summer like I need air to breathe,"_ Zack had said on the phone. Freddy partly believed him, but he knew that with Zack's free and easy spirit Zack could probably get over Summer quite easily. Summer would take longer to come to terms with the fact that the love of her life didn't love her, and so Freddy reckoned that he needed to be there for Summer more than for Zack.

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**A/N:** Well that was the second chapter of the story. I hope you liked it … I'm worried it may be a bit too confusing for some people. If you did get a bit confused when reading it, then tell me and I'll edit the chapter and then repost it to make it easier to read. If not, then ignore that comment. Thanks again for all the great reviews I got. I don't really do shout-outs, as they take up to much space on the page and take ages to type up, but I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate your comments. If you have any plot suggestions or one-liners that you'd like me to include in my story, then put them in your review and I'll see what I can do (obviously I can't include everyone's ideas – that is presuming someone will give me a suggestion or two – but I'll do my best). Thanks everyone! 


	3. Chapter 3

**At the Bridgewater**

**DISCLAIMER: **I'm sure you know by now that no one on this site owns anything except the stuff they make up, so what's the point of saying it again? I OWN NOTHING! There, I said it.

**A/N: **Okay, it's been AGES since I last updated ... thanks for all the great reviews!I never thought I'd get 20 reveiwsfrom just 2 chapters!I wrote this chapter quite a while ago, and originally I was going to scrap it, but I enjoyed it so much that I decided to post it as the next chapter. There isn't really much development to the plot, but it's just a nice little moment that I thought would be good for the story. The next chapter will be more productive, I promise.

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Zack sighed as he put his pen down on his desk and made a fist shape with his hand, easing the cramp he had accumulated while writing his essay. He leaned back in his chair and he found his eyes resting on a photograph above his desk. It was tacked into his notice board along with several other photographs, a reminder about his dentist's appointment and a sheet with some half-done lyrics on it. The photograph he was looking at had been taken at Katie's fifteenth birthday party. She was in the centre, with Summer on one side of her and Zack on the other. Freddy had his arm securely round Summer's shoulders, and all four of them were smiling towards the camera. Dewey had taken the picture.

Zack smiled as his eyes scanned the photo. He had seen it many times before, as it was one of his favourites, but he always loved to look at it. Katie had a paper crown perched on her head, the type you get out of Christmas crackers. There was also a large badge pinned onto her top that showed her age in big orange letters, and said 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY!' across the top of it. Zack's arm had been wrapped round Katie's waist, and her arm was round his shoulders so they were all squashed in together for the picture. Summer and Freddy were both grinning at the camera, Freddy sporting a bright red t-shirt, and Summer a top that read 'IF YOU CAN READ THIS, YOU'RE TOO CLOSE'.

Summer and Zack had been dating for about a year then, and they were both perfectly happy together. He remembered kissing Summer properly for the first time outside Katie's back garden that day. He would have done it sooner, but they were both too shy to make their kisses more than simple, innocent pecks. He remembered how much he had enjoyed that kiss, and how much he had loved Summer.

"I still do love her," Zack said out loud.

"What was that honey?" came Mrs Mooneyham's call from outside the door.

"Oh, nothing mom," he called back. "Just doing my homework." Putting the picture to one side, Zack sighed and picked up his pen again.

Later that night, Zack was lying on his front on his bed, looking at the picture again. He had also taken some of his other pictures and spread them out across his pillow so he could look at them. Most of them had Summer in them, but there were some with just Katie and Zack, and one of Katie and Freddy. But Zack's favourite photograph was one with Katie, Summer and Freddy in it.

Zack had taken it in the park one day a few summers ago. Katie was the only one who was actually looking at the camera at the time – she was poking her tongue out at it. Summer had been doing a handstand, her hair just grazing over the grass as her legs swayed slightly in the air. Freddy had been slouched on the ground beside Summer, watching her and attempting to make her over-balance by throwing peanuts at her. The camera itself had been crooked, as Zack had taken the picture in a hurry and hadn't had time to steady the camera. As a result, everyone in the photo was at a slight angle, which made Zack like the picture even more. It was genuine of their friendship, with no forced smiles or fake poses. It was simply Zack's three best friends larking around in the park.

He turned the photograph over to look at the date on the reverse side. He had taken to writing the date that each picture was taken when he first realised he was interested in photography. He had always loved taking pictures, but he never really thought about it as anything more than a hobby until he started developing his own pictures in the spare storeroom. It was a tiny room at the back of the house, just large enough to fit in all the things that Zack needed to develop his own photographs. The date on the reverse side of the photo read _Late May 2006_. So they had been 12 when the picture was taken. He put the picture back down on the pile and picked up another one, which showed Summer and Katie showing off their temporary tattoos to the camera. Freddy and Zack were in the background, talking together.

Zack spent the rest of the evening leafing through his collection of photographs, turning each one over and reading the date on the back of them. Then he put them in chronological order (that is, in order that the pictures had been taken). He placed the oldest ones at the top of the pile and the more recent ones at the bottom, so that a picture of a seven-year-old Katie smiling at him was on the top. Zack then placed the pictures in a box on his bookshelf, and hid the box at the bottom of the middle drawer of his desk. No one else would know where the pictures were, and he would be able to find them easily if ever he wanted to look at them again.

After looking at the photos properly for the first time in about two years, Zack felt a deep, personal connection with them. When he looked at the photos, he saw everything he had ever wanted – happiness, acceptance, friendship, love and the general spirit of youth. Now he rarely got that feeling of sheer happiness, when nothing else mattered in the world except your friends and the one you love. Now it was all about exams and doing well in school and getting a good education, and you could probably say that Zack was feeling the strain. And his rather messy break-up with Summer only added more problems to his platter. Those pictures were Zack's escape – them and his guitar. He didn't want anybody else to look at those photos, in case they might damage them or tarnish them simply by _looking_ at the pictures. He knew he was being silly, but he couldn't help but think that the photos belonged to _him_, and no one else was allowed to look at them.

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**A/N: **Like I said before, not much development to the plot, but I like this chapter ... except for the ending. I thought that was a bit weak. Anyway, it's not really what I think that matters - what did YOU think? PLEASE send in a reveiw because they're SO helpful! Thanks! 


	4. Chapter 4

**At the Bridgewater**

**Disclaimer:**I'm sure you know by now that no one on this site owns anything except the stuff they make up, so what's the point of saying it again? I OWN NOTHING! There, I said it.

**A/N:**Okay, after almost a month of not writing anything I'vefinally overcome my writer's block. There's not much to say about this chapter except that I'm sorry for the really long wait!Well, here's the latest on the story ...

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**Zack sat by the phone in the living room, tapping his fingers in a steady rhythm on the table. The house was empty as his father had gone to work, and Nora, the maid, did not come today. It was a Friday, but Zack didn't feel like going to school, so he stayed home. He was beginning to regret it, acknowledging the feeling in the pit of his stomach as boredom. The novelty of skipping school had worn off, and, as everyone else was stuck in their lessons, there was no one else to talk to. The curtains of the living room where Zack sat were closed, and the light was switched off. As a result, Zack sat in a state of semi-gloom, listening to the distant sound of cars passing by outside. 

Eventually, after almost an hour of sitting, motionless, by the telephone, Zack stretched. His back ached, his head throbbed and he had cramp in the back of one leg. He tried to get up, winced, and sat back down again, gripping the back of his calf in an effort to ease the pain. When the painful twinge of his leg had subsided to a dull throb, Zack moved into the kitchen, where he helped himself to a couple of aspirins and a glass of water.

He glanced at the clock. It was five past one. Time to eat.

Zack bent down and opened the tiny fridge that he and his father shared. There were some leftover pieces of chicken from last night's roast and a cold baked potato. Zack put both of them into the microwave and poured himself a drink of milk. For a moment his eyes strayed over his father's drinks cabinet, but Zack wasn't feeling up to alcohol this time. Besides, it wasn't worth the hassle of making sure his father didn't find out.

Zack gulped down his glass of milk in one go, suddenly realising how thirsty he was. He was about to help himself to another glass of milk when the doorbell rang. With a groan, Zack placed the empty glass down on the side and walked out into the dim hallway. It was very narrow, more of a corridor than a hall, and the wallpaper on the walls was peeling off. If you looked up just outside the living room, you could see a large damp patch there, caused by the bath overflowing one too many times.

Zack opened the door and immediately blinked, startled by the sudden change of light. He screwed his eyes up against the sun and turned away for a moment to stop his eyes burning. He heard a familiar laugh. It was Katie. Zack groaned again and turned back to the doorway.

"Katie," Zack said, speaking for the first time that day. His voice was cracked and husky, having been unused for so long. Zack cleared his throat before speaking again. "Hi."

Katie laughed again, smiling at him slightly pitifully.

"Freddy said you were in a bit of a state," she said simply, before pushing past Zack and stepping into the narrow hall and closing the door behind her. Zack turned away and shuffled back into the kitchen. He left the door open so he could still see Katie, and set about finding the mayonnaise.

"Freddy?" Zack said, confused, as he got a knife out from the drawer.

"Yeah, Freddy," Katie said. She paused, looking at him as he struggled awkwardly to get the last of the mayonnaise onto his spoon. "You want some help?" she asked rhetorically. Zack mumbled something inaudible and carried on poking his spoon into the tub of mayonnaise but not succeeding to get any on the spoon. Katie went up to him and pushed him aside. "Here, let me do that," she said. "You just go and sit down and I'll have this done in no time." Zack let her take the mayonnaise from him, but protested further before Katie sent him a glare that meant do-what-I-say-or-die. Zack simply shuffled over to the kitchen table and plonked down in the nearest chair.

"Feel free to help yourself to anything you find," Zack said to Katie. Katie shook her head.

"No, it's okay. I've already eaten," she said. Zack shrugged and settled back in his chair.

It was only then that he realised he wasn't dressed, and was wearing only a pair of boxer shorts and a large t-shirt which had been rescued from the dirty laundry basket that morning. Zack suddenly felt awkward sitting here in front of Katie when he wasn't dressed, but she didn't seem bothered. A few minutes later, Katie placed a plate of chicken salad in front of him, accompanied by a baked potato and a mug of hot coffee.

"Thanks," Zack said gruffly, pulling the plate towards him and tucking in. Katie sat opposite, watching him with vague interest as he ate. He left a bit of the salad and about half of the potato. Zack stood up to put it in the bin, but Katie said, "Hang on minute, Zack – I'll have that."

Zack turned towards her, grinning slightly. "I thought you said you hadn't eaten," he teased her. She shrugged awkwardly, sharing his smile.

"I have. So what? Who are you to say I can't have something else to eat?" she returned, getting herself a fork and then taking Zack's plate from him. Defeated, he sat down and sipped at the mug of coffee.

"So why are you here again?" Zack asked her.

Katie shrugged. "To keep you company,' she said. Zack said nothing.

"How come you're not at school?" he said eventually.

"Didn't want to go," Katie said simply. "I always skip school if I don't want to go … I mean, what's the point of being stuck somewhere you don't want to be when all you have to do is not go? I was going to go down to the beach this afternoon, but after what Freddy said, I thought I should come by here instead."

"And what did Freddy say exactly?" Zack asked cautiously. He wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer. Katie shrugged and took her empty plate over to the sink.

"Just that you and Summer broke up. I asked him why, but he said he didn't know. He said you were really down about it, though."

"Oh," Zack said simply.

Katie dried the plate she had just washed up and then turned to Zack, looking him up and down. He pretended not to notice.

"You need to go and get dressed," she said finally.

"Why?"

"Because we're going out, that's why."

"Oh, come on Katie! I'm not on the mood! I just want to sit at home and watch TV … I don't want to go out," Zack moaned, sounding so much like a little kid that he cringed.

Katie just looked at him, and then said, "Fine. We won't go out. But at least get dressed. No offence, but I don't exactly want to look at your legs all day, thankyou." Katie turned to leave and went through to the living room, but Zack immediately blushed and stood up, his coffee in hand. He went straight upstairs and rummaged round in his wardrobe for something half decent to wear.

As Zack picked his way through his vast CD collection scattered on his bedroom floor, he thought about Katie, the girl who, at this very moment, was sitting on his leather couch in his living room. Zack liked Katie, and he thought she was quite pretty, but he would never go out with her. That's what he told himself, anyway. Katie was the girl Zack would consider as his closest female friend, and nothing more. _What would I do if she kissed me?_ Zack thought suddenly. _Kiss her back_ came his instinctive reply, but the more logical, cautious side of Zack said _Back away of course! I don't fancy her!_

Downstairs, Katie was busy at work. So far, she had opened all of the curtains in all of the rooms downstairs, had opened two of the windows in the kitchen and was currently struggling to open the biggest window in the living room. She pushed harder on the button on the handle, and suddenly the window swung open. She jumped back slightly in surprise, and then readjusted the window so it wasn't open too wide. Just at that moment, Zack reappeared in the doorway, his hair not brushed, his face unwashed and his clothes not ironed. But at least he was dressed.

Zack groaned and sat down on the couch, shielding his eyes from the sunlight. Katie laughed and sat down beside him. Zack felt a slight jolt somewhere near the region of his stomach as she settled into the seat next to him and took the remote from the coffee table. Zack was still slightly surprised that his automatic reaction to the question 'What if Katie kissed you?' turned out to be 'Kiss her back'. What if his automatic side took over, and he ended up kissing Katie anyway? _Oh, don't be stupid Zack. You're way too paranoid about yourself_.

Instead, Zack settled back into the soft leather couch and watched TV with Katie. For some odd reason, Zack found himself thinking of Danny Taylor, a boy in the year above him at school who had a big crush on Katie. She had made it perfectly clear that she wasn't interested, but Danny still followed her down the corridors at school, attempting to get as near as he could to her without her hitting him. He had once sneaked up behind her, pinned her against a locker and attempted to kiss her, but she had kicked him in the balls before he'd had half a chance. _If only Danny could see us now_ Zack thought delightedly, grinning involuntarily.

Needless to say, Zack was in a good mood for the rest of the day, and when it came time for Katie to go home, Zack found himself oddly disappointed.

"What?" Katie asked, exasperated. "I have to go or my folks'll be wondering where I am." Zack sighed and got up from the couch to see her out to the front door. "Don't be stupid, Zack! Go and sit down! I'm perfectly capable of seeing myself out, thankyou," Katie told him with a grin before opening the front door and letting herself out.

Zack listened to the door bang close, and he felt eerily empty now he was on his own again. The blare of the television now felt empty and meaningless, and Zack turned it off. He settled back into the leather sofa and stared at the blank screen of the television, listening to the quiet tick-tock of the clock on the wall.

He sat, motionless on the couch for almost half an hour before he decided that he was being pathetic. He then proceeded to go into his bedroom, stuff one of his favourite CD's into his CD player and turn the volume on as high as it would go. It was the very first record that Zack had ever purchased, and for the first time in what felt like years, Zack felt the beat pulsing through his body like an electric shock, stunning his muscles into action and causing him to jump up and down, head banging over-energetically to the music. No one was watching, so he did whatever came to him – jumping on his bed, screaming, and singing along to the lyrics tunelessly. After a few minutes, he settled himself down by reaching for his guitar and playing along to the CD. By the time the record had finished, Zack was calm, collected and ready to go …

The afternoon had been fun, and for the first time in a long time, Zack didn't think once about Summer. Sure, he spent the afternoon sitting with the girl who had caused his blunder, but suddenly that didn't seem to matter. He didn't really care. For what seemed like the first time in his life, Zack had enjoyed himself to the full. He had laughed, joked, messed around with (and probably even flirted with) Katie all day, and he felt great. As Zack made himself cheese on toast, he found himself thinking of all the times he had tried to talk to Freddy about the break-up.

"Yeah, sure, hold on a sec, man – I just got to finish off this round," Freddy had once told Zack when he called him in the middle of playing a computer game. Zack could hear Freddy on the other end of the phone, shouting and cursing at the computer screen as he played. And Zack had been sitting hopelessly at the other end of the phone, waiting for his best friend to talk to him. Right there and then, Zack had decided that Freddy probably was not the best person to turn to when faced with an emotional problem.

A few times, Zack had called Freddy and found that he was interrupting a conversation the blond was having with Summer. "Oh, hang on a minute Zack – I've got Summer here … I'll just tell her to wait a minute." On those occasions, Zack had simply put the phone down. He came to realise that Freddy probably cared more for Summer than he did for Zack. At first this bothered the guitarist, but now, after an afternoon spent with Katie, Zack found he couldn't care less. If Freddy could have Summer, then he could have Katie, and who really cared if he ended up kissing her … maybe even go out with her. What did it matter?

As Zack took his snack into the living room, he saw two familiar figures walking past his window. He recognised both of them immediately: the small brunette was Summer, and the blond boy who walked beside her was his best friend Freddy. Without really thinking about what he was doing, Zack raised his right hand to the window and extended his middle finger to the two people on the other side of the glass. Neither of them saw him, but that didn't matter. What did matter was that Zack had finally given up on two of the people he had once cared most about. He now saw Freddy as an over-confident, arrogant git, and Summer as a prissy teachers-pet with nothing better to do than count brownie points.

As these thoughts crossed Zack's mind, he revelled at how easy it really was to get over Summer, the girl he thought he could never stop loving. There were other girls out there, and he had better things to do than chase after the one person who hated him most. As Summer and Freddy disappeared from view, Zack felt an odd sense of guilt in the pit of his stomach, because he knew that hating his best friend and his ex-girlfriend and cursing them both behind their backs was probably something only Elini would do, and even then she would probably feel bad about it.

Instead of dwelling on his guilty conscience, Zack went upstairs to his room, took the box of photographs from his desk and scattered them over his bed, just as he did two weeks ago when he spent the evening leafing through them. For a moment, Zack thought of burning the photographs, but instead he chose to stuff them back in the box and put the box in the attic. He could always get them later if he needed them, but he didn't want those memories of his friends haunting his room.

Just before he took the box upstairs, however, he reached into the pile of photographs and removed one of Katie at The Battle Of The Bands last year. They hadn't taken part, but chose to help out in the organising of the event instead. The picture showed Katie helping out in the costume area backstage, her arms submerged in a large pile of clothes as she tried to locate a red cloak which was needed for someone's performance. She was grinning, but her face was smudged with dirt and her hair was a mess. Zack decided that he liked the picture because it was the only one he had of Katie that showed her true smile – the one that showed off both her bottom teeth and her top teeth, and not the 'publicity' smile which only revealed her top teeth. Zack took the photograph and stuck it on the board above his desk where he kept things such as his 'To-Do' list, which was always full, and a calendar which told him when everybody's birthday was.

After stuffing the box up in the attic, Zack lay down on his bed and fell asleep inadvertently, still fully dressed. He woke up in the middle of the night, got his photo of Katie and put it carefully under his pillow before settling back to sleep again.

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**A/N: **I didn't really know when to end this chapter, so I decided to stop there before it got any longer. Please, please review and if anyone has any ideas for storylines, tell me (I really need them!) Thanks! 


	5. Chapter 5

**At the Bridgewater**

**Disclaimer: **I'm sure you know by now that no one on this site owns anything except the stuff they make up, so what's the point of saying it again? I OWN NOTHING! There, I said it.

**A/N:**Okay, so I FINALLY updated - I hope you're proud of me lol. It took me AGES to finish that chapter off ... I hope you like it. Personally, it's my favourite chapter so far, but I don't know what anyone else thinks. Anyway, please send in a review as they are SO helpful to me.

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**THEO'S BAR PRESENTS**

**_THE NARRATIVE_**

**THE HOTTEST NEW BAND IN TOWN!**

**COME ALONG FOR AN AUTHENTIC ROCKIN' NIGHT OUT!**

**THEO'S BAR, FRIDAY NIGHT, **

**8 TILL LATE**

The poster was stuck to a light post next to the bus stop at which Freddy and Zack were standing. Freddy looked at it with vague interest.

"You going?" he asked the smaller boy beside him.

"Huh?" Zack said, looking up from his watch. Freddy gestured towards the poster. "Oh. Right. Yeah. Maybe … depends," Zack finished lamely.

"You could take Katie – you two seem quite … close," Freddy hinted, giving Zack a friendly nudge with his shoulder. Zack grinned unwillingly and Freddy gave a triumphant laugh. "You DO like her! Ha, I knew it!" Freddy cried.

"Freddy, come on … I mean, it's no big deal …" Zack said hopelessly as Freddy grinned at him.

"My little Zacky's all grown up," Freddy joked, ruffling Zack's hair and pinching his cheek patronisingly. Zack didn't quite see how this applied, seeing as he'd been serious about a girl before and Katie therefore wasn't the first crush Zack had had.

"What? That doesn't even make sense!" Zack said, laughing. Freddy took no notice and continued teasing Zack. Suddenly he stopped and looked over Zack's shoulder. Zack immediately turned round and saw what Freddy was looking at – Katie. She was coming towards the two boys, her large schoolbag slung over her shoulder. Zack wheeled back round to face Freddy, a blush creeping into his face.

"Freddy! What am I going to do? She's coming over!" he hissed. Freddy laughed.

"Relax man, you're one of her best friends. You've known each other for ages … just chill out," Freddy told him.

"Hey," Katie said.

"Hi!" Zack cried, turning round so fast he almost fell over. He was still blushing, and he ran a hand nervously through his hair. Katie laughed at him.

"What's up with you today? It's only me. You don't have to be so nervous," she said with a grin. She readjusted her bag and smiled at Freddy. "Hey Spazzy."

"Hey," he returned. "I've got to go now … I've got stuff to do," he said vaguely, pushing past Katie. He had just seen Summer coming out of the school gates with Alicia and Marta. As he went, he heard Katie ask Zack about his latest song, but by the time Zack had started talking, Freddy was out of earshot.

"Summer!" he called as he neared the small brunette. She turned, tucking a lock of straight brown hair behind her ear.

"Oh, hi Freddy," she said shyly. Surprised by her rather timid response, he looked at Alicia and Marta, both of whom where smiling at Freddy as though they knew something he didn't.

"Well, we have to go now … things to do," Alicia said as she passed by. There seemed to be something else in her voice, a sort of hint; it was as though something was going to happen, and Alicia knew exactly what it was, when it was going to happen and who it was going to happen to. Marta raised her eyebrows at Summer and gave Freddy a significant glance and then she was gone too.

"What was that about?" Freddy asked Summer, looking at Alicia and Marta as they walked away. Marta said something and they both turned around at the same time, looked at Summer and Freddy with some interest, and then turned back round giggling.

"Dunno," Summer said. They both lapsed into silence as the kids around them pushed past, talking amongst themselves. Freddy cleared his throat and Summer looked down at her feet.

"So …" Freddy began awkwardly.

"Yeah …" Summer returned.

Another few seconds of silence, then "I really have to go," Freddy said.

"Yeah, me too," Summer returned immediately. The two looked at each other for a second longer.

"Well … see you later," Freddy said.

"Yeah, bye," Summer said quickly. Freddy turned round and started walking in the direction of his home and Summer began her walk to her bus stop.

That evening, Zack and Katie went out to the park for a late-night walk. The idea was to talk about a History Assignment they both had, which was due in for the following week. However, Zack had a sneaking suspicion that they probably wouldn't be talking about schoolwork that much.

Zack peered into the hallway mirror as he pulled his jacket on. He lifted up his thick fringe and frowned at what he saw. He had a generous helping of spots scattered across his forehead, which was his main reason for not having his hair cut; while the other boys were busy loading their hair with gel to make it stick up in the air like a hedgehog, Zack was brushing his hair down to cover his spotty forehead. He also had a couple of spots on his right cheek, but nothing a bit of concealer wouldn't cure.

After spraying on a bit of deodorant, brushing his teeth and smudging a bit of his sister's concealer on his cheek, Zack made his way over to the park, where he would be meeting Katie in five minutes. The walk didn't take long, and he could soon see the large park gates looming up ahead of him. Just in front of them, leaning against the wall, was Katie. She smiled as he approached, and dug her hands deep into her pockets as she walked towards him.

"Hey," she said. She was wearing her trainers, which was good, because if she had been wearing her boots, she would have been taller than Zack, and Zack hated it when girls made him feel small.

"Hi," he returned, hoping that he wasn't blushing. They started into the park, their conversation swaying casually from one topic to another as they walked. Eventually, the two came to rest near the lake, where they sat on a bench near the water's edge. Zack picked up a couple of small pebbles and made them bounce along the surface of the water. His last stone bounced a total of seven times before sinking to the bottom of the lake.

"Wow! Seven bounces … I've never seen anyone do that before! The most I've ever got is five," Katie told him as he made his way back to the bench. He simply grinned sheepishly and fiddled with his little fingernail as Katie sat and watched the ducks on the lake as they swam around in circles, eating soggy bread.

"Katie, you fancy going to a concert on Friday night?" Zack asked casually. The butterflies in his stomach we fluttering faster than ever, and Zack thought he might throw up from the simple anticipation of waiting for her answer. But Katie simply flicked her hair over her shoulder and smiled at him.

"Yeah, sure."

"Really?" Zack blurted out, sighing with relief as Katie laughed at his reaction.

"Yeah, really," she said, giggling. "What, did you think I'd say no?" When Zack didn't answer her, she continued. "I love live music! I wouldn't have said no for anything … which concert where you thinking of?"

"It's just a little thing going on at Theo's Bar, you know, on Upper Mills Road? This band called … erm, I can't remember. But they're a new band … I don't know, I was just thinking of dropping in and seeing what it was like. Does that sound cool to you?" he asked.

"Yeah, that sounds great!" Katie said, grinning. Zack was going to suggest they meet up for a drink before heading down to Theo's Bar, but he was interrupted by the arrival of two other people on the opposite side of the lake. He recognised them both immidiately – the blonde boy was Freddy, and the petie brunette was Summer. They had both been laughing as they came towards the lake, but their laughter died away quickly as they both noticed Zack and Katie on the opposite side of the water.

The four teenagers looked at each other as an unbrearably awkward silence settled betweek them. Freddy and Summer stood on one side of the lake, with Zack and Katie on the other. After almost ten seconds (which seems like an eternity when you're standing in silence, Freddy noted) and not a word, Summer simply turned on her heel and walked away.

This immidiately spurted Zack into life, and he came tearing across the bridge over the lake after Summer.

"Wait, Summer! It's not what it looks like, honestly!" he cried desperately. It wasn't that he still loved her – he had finally got over her, with Katie's help, admittedly; he just didn't want to hurt her any more than he already had. But Summer was either out of earshot or was ignoring him; she carried on walking without so much as turning round.

"Leave her," Freddy told Zack as the guitarist proceeded to follow Summer. He put his hand on Zack's chest and pushed him back slightly, stepping in the way.

"But –" protested Zack.

"Hey, I said leave her," Freddy repeated, his tone firm and forebading. When he spoke like that, Zack knew it was best to do what he said or he'd probably end up with two black eyes. By this time, Katie had made her way over to the two boys.

"What's going on?" Katie asked.

"Nothing. It's got nothing to do with you," growled Freddy.

But Katie knew better. "If Zack wants to go and see Summer, then what's the problem … it's not like you've got anything to do with it," she sneered at Freddy, obviously retorting to his last comment. Katie could be a real bitch if she wanted, Freddy recalled. He chose to ignore her.

"Nothing's going on," Zack muttered. "I'll be back in a minute," he told Katie, pushing past Freddy.

Freddy let him go, but called after him, "I would have thought you'd done enough damage by now."

This last comment caught Zack of guard, and he turned to Freddy, who continued before Zack had a chance to speak.

"Yeah, you heard me. You have _no idea_ how much you hurt that girl, do you? No idea how many times she's been on the phone to me, crying her eyes out over what _you_ did to her … honestly, the things she told me, about what you'd said to her, all the promises you made. You broke her heart, man, and if you want to go and hurt her some more, then fine – go! But if I were you, man, I'd stay away from her, at least till she's calmed down," Freddy said.

"Hey, I haven't exactly had a great time over this either! I made one, stupid, little mistake and she totally blew it out of proportion – I apologised and everything!" Zack cried, walking back to where Freddy and Katie now stood.

"Oh, so that makes it okay, does it?" Freddy said scornfully.

"No, but it's not as if I _meant_ to hurt her – like I said, it was just a stupid mistake."

"You make me sick … you stand here and tell me that an apology was the best you could offer her – the girl of your dreams, the love of your life … you expected her to forgive you for a simple apology …" Freddy said, no longer shouting, his voice sincere.

"I don't see what it's got to do with you, anyway," Katie told Freddy. "This is between Zack and Summer, and I don't think it's doing anyone any favours, you sticking your nose in where it doesn't belong."

"Oh, shut up Katie," Freddy snapped. He was already in a bad mood with Zack, he didn't need Katie nosing in and bossing him about.

"Hey, leave Katie alone! It's not as if any of this is her fault," Zack said, his crush on Katie causing him to jump to her defence.

"Whatever. I'm going to go and see if Summer's okay," Freddy said, turning his back and walking away.

"That's it – go and talk to Summer, tell her what a terrible person I've been for _finally getting over her!_ Tell her how much of a prick I am for _actually wanting a bit of happiness_ for a change – it's not like I had any with her! Tell her how you hate me, and how much you love her … the frigid bitch!" Zack yelled after Freddy. Although it was true that throughout their three years of dating each other, Summer had never let Zack go beyond second base, he didn't really mean what he said. He was angry and frustrated, and wanted to hurt Freddy the only way he knew how – through Summer.

It worked, too, for no sooner had Zack stopped talking than Freddy punched him in the jaw. Katie screamed as Freddy lunged, and the two boys landed in a heap on the floor. Freddy punched Zack again in the nose and suceeded in giving him a nosebleed. Zack tried to push Freddy off him, but Freddy was too strong. Instead, the drummer continued to punch Zack in the stomach and chest.

"Don't … dare … insult … Summer … not … her … fault …" Freddy was saying in between punches. Eventually, Zack managed to punch Freddy in the mouth and, taking advantage of his weak moment, threw him off. Freddy rolled away and wiped his mouth as Zack coughed and spluttered, trying to get his breath back. Katie rushed over to him and then turned to Freddy angrily.

"Look what you've done to him, you idiot! He can hardly breathe!" she cried. Instead of apologising, Freddy lunged at Zack a second time, ready to punch the living daylights out of him, but Katie held him back with surprising strength. She pushed him away and he stumbled slightly, but didn't trip.

"Whatever. See you round, losers," he muttered, before walking off away from the lake to find Summer.

It was now getting dark, and he wanted to get out of the park before all the drunkards and drug adicts came and camped out for the night. It was also getting a little cold, which Freddy had failed to notice while he was fighting Zack and Katie.

He found Summer after about ten minutes of looking. She was sitting on a bench between the café and the picnic area, looking glumly into the middle distance and generally looking sorry for herself. Freddy sat down beside her but said nothing. He was still seething, and found that he was finding it hard to calm down. He ran through the events of the past half an hour or so, from his and Summer's arrival at the lake to now, and he found that there was one event that didn't make sense to him.

It was the fact that Summer had left pretty much immidiately after seeing that Zack and Katie were there. What was that look on her face, just before she had stormed off? Hurt? Jealousy? Anger? Why had she felt like that? As far as Freddy could see, she was over him … so why the sudden take off?

"Hey, Summer? How come you took off so suddenly, you know? When you saw Zack and Katie together at the lake? I mean … why were you so upset? I thought you were over him." Freddy had never had a way with words, especially when it came to questions.

Summer didn't answer him straight away. Instead, she looked sideways at him, taken aback slightly by this new, slightly shallow side, she now saw in Freddy.

She paused for a moment before answering, searching his face for that ever-undrestanding side of Freddy that she had grown to know and trust. She wanted Freddy to understand what she was thinking, what she was going through, without actually having to explain it to him, as he had managed to so many times before. But now, there was only a frank look of curiosity and, hidden in his face somewhere, a faint hint of confusement. For the first time in a long time, Summer realised, Freddy truly didn't understand her. For some odd reason, as well as feeling slightly upset, she also felt betrayed, as though simply by not understanding her pain, Freddy was doing something wrong.

She couldn't quite believe that she could be so misunderstood by someone so close to her.

"You don't get it, do you?" she said in disbelief. "No, of course you don't." She paused, searching for a way to explain her feelings to him without making her anger and unexplainable feeling of betrayal apparent. She failed. "I mean, you've never been in love, right? I loved Zack. For three whole years, I loved that boy … and now, only a month after we break up, he's off seeing some other girl! I mean, even if I _am_ over him, don't you think it's going to hurt just a _little_, seeing him with somebody else?" Freddy didn't answer. He was ashamed at not recognising Summer's pain at the time, and he wished he had been more sensitive towards her, rather than going off punching his best friend in the stomach …

"Summer, I'm sorry. I should have realised –"

"Save it," she said. "I've had enough of sorry's for one day." And with that, she stalked off. This time, Freddy didn't bother to go after her.

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**A/N:** So there you have it. The latest installment of At the Bridgewater. I decided to end it there before it got any longer, but also it seemed like the natural place to stop. There isn't exactly a cliffy, but I think it does leave you guys wondering what's going to happen next, which is good! lol ... in all honesty, I'm not entirely sure what's going to happen, although I have a pretty good idea.

Anyway, the next chapter should be up around Christmas... I know it seems a long way off, but I had exams before then and, quite frankly, I'd rather be revising for them than redrafting some fanfiction. I hope you understand that my life doesn't, contrary to popular belief, rotate around the computer screen and that my happiness does not depend on how quickly I can write the next chapter. As some of you may have noticed, I take a lot of time over my writing, and I don't want the next chapter to be any kind of dissapointment to you. So, there you have it - a million and one reasons as to why the next chapter won't be up until around Christmas time. As I said before, PLEASE send me your review (and please give me some constructive critisism - I get tired of people saying 'OMG, this story is so great! update soon!' ... wow, that sounded bigheaded) lol, so yeah. That's about it ... cya!


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